New and Noteworthy: iPod people 'downsizing'; RealNetworks Launches Mac OS X Encoding Solution and RealProducer Plus 10; more

iPod people 'downsizing' A Wall Street Journal article profiles the iPod mini and a few other smaller MP3 players which are becoming increasingly popular relative to the full-size iPod. "Do you really need 10,000 songs at your fingertips? For music fans who have decided that the latest high-capacity portable music players are overkill, there?s a growing number of more compact options. Apple Computer Inc. made the biggest splash in January with its iPod mini. The slimmed-down version of the original iPod was an instant hit, and now is on back-order across the United States." More.

RealNetworks Launches Mac OS X Encoding Solution and RealProducer Plus 10 While Apple may be stealing the show at this year's NAB conference in Las Vegas, RealNetworks (which in the past few weeks has sought to partner with Apple in online music ventures) has some significant announcements for the Mac OS X community as well. The company unveiled a beta version of its new Real 10 Export Plug-in for Mac OS X. The Real 10 Export Plug-in enables video editors for the first time to export RealAudio10 and RealVideo 10 formats directly from Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects, Avid Xpress Pro and more. The company also released a final version of RealProducer Plus 10. More.

'Phishing' scams luring more users News.com reports that the number of 'phishing' e-mails circulating on the Web has increased from 279 to 215,643 over the past six months, according to e-mail security company MessageLabs. "Phishing is an Internet scam in which unsuspecting users receive official-looking e-mails that attempt to fool them into disclosing online passwords, user names and other personal information. Victims are usually persuaded to click on a link that directs them to a doctored version of an organization's Web site." More.

Previously we noted:

• Apple releases Bluetooth firmware 1.1
• Apple updates AirPort software to 3.4
• Apple intros new iBooks, PowerBooks: Up to 1.5 GHz, AirPort Extreme in every PowerBook
• ATI offers fix for Mac OS X 10.3.3 DVD Player problems
• More on disappearing disk space
• Virex 7.5b1 conflicts: Adobe CS products; MYOB AccountEdge; Final Cut Pro; more
• Clocks running fast on some eMacs
• Macs incorrectly searching for network startup volumes
• Mac OS X 10.3.x: Calculator crashing on currency update
• Apple's NAB announcements: DVD Studio Pro 3; Shake 3.5; Panasonic to collaborate on FireWire HD
• A variation on the type/creator "trojan horse": Special character that appears as a period
• Date and time problems with digital cameras

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